QUAKE 3 IS NOW ONLINE!!!!!
Alright, you ran out and downloaded the Quake 3 test version, ran around a few times in marvel, but quickly came to the realization that blowing yourself up gets lame really quick. And I also bet that most of you do not happen to have a LAN set up, so that is the end of playing the Quake 3 test version, right? WRONG!!!! Those kewl folks over at id software have come through again, allowing us fragheads to join in on the testing & play Quake 3 online! WOOHOO!!!! And it is incredibly simple to get going. All you have to do is punch in the magic ip address of the server, and come out all guns blazing. The latency of the servers is not too hot (at least not to me), but it still runs well enough to play.
Here is a snap
of the map named "The Longest Yard". It is drastically different from
the traditional Quake maps. In this level, players can jump from level to level
using "jump pads". It is pretty much the same as a rocket jump, it
just doesn't burn your feet as bad. Being able to leap in and out of firefights
is pretty wild, but the layout of this level does make it pretty tough to follow
someone around when you are looking for a little payback.
Here is another
perspective that is from a platform above the previous shot. Note that the armor
has nothing under it, but instead the player is launched from one ledge to the
other. This makes an excellent escape from that guy who has been unloading unlimited
rockets on ya all day.
Overall, I must say that I am incredibly impressed with the test version. Obviously, since it is only a test, the game isn't tweaked out, nor are the servers. But even still, the level that this game will raise the standard is going to be pretty high. The graphics are tight, and it still runs really damn smooth. You really should make it a point to snag a copy of Quake 3 Arena and then haul *ss over to one of their servers. Oh yea, I almost forgot (silly me). The address of the servers are @ 192.246.40.37:2796_(0, 1, 2, or 3). You can also find a list of servers at the Q3 site linked above.